He Doesn't Need You Anymore
by Ryouko Akizakura
Summary: Yoko is crying. Her heart is broken, her spirit crushed, and her soul is bleeding. But when Simon gives her some advice, and then nearly dies in front of her, will Yoko have the strength to be able to save him or fall apart? SimYoko. I do not own GL.
1. Haunting Me

**Author's Note**: Well. This is a piece of crap. Although, I love how I just quickly whipped up a first chapter even though I was pretty lazy after finishing the second chapter...Yeah, that's right. Second chapter is finished and coming right up. I just didn't want to add it to this chapter because the second one if fairly long, and I didn't want this chapter to just drag on. I learned from my mistake the first time. It became hard for me to read as well. Anyway, this is one of the stories I was talking about. And this story is about Yoko and Simon, my OTP for Gurren Lagann, one of the best animes of all time. Seriously. Go and watch it. It's AH-MAZING.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Gurren Lagann, Yoko Littner, Simon, SimYoko, or any of the other characters mentioned in the story, other then that gunman...I'm pretty sure that...All well, I guess I don't own him either. I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! I DON'T OWN ANYTHING AT ALL! I OWN NOTHING!

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><p>My heart fluttered like a piano as I held the soft wildflower to my lips, my long and free red hair blowing to my right, as I kissed the flower I was holding as tenderly as I possibly could, holding onto my fluttering love deep within my heart, reluctant to let it go. Kamina and I had kissed. Right there on the very spot I was standing on. Kamina had promised he'd return that kiss ten times over, and I'd been looking forward to it. Because, after all, I was in love with him. But then, the enemy had struck at the blind spot I'd promised I'd protect. And as a result, Kamina was lost, far from my reach.<p>

I held the wildflower closer, tenderly, and kissed it one last time, the meek looking Simon looking at the sword we'd jabbed into the ground solemnly, tears gathering at the edges of his eyes, but not spilling over. He'd gotten over it. So had I. Life had to continue on. We had to move forward, get on with our lives, and look to the future that we would grasp with our own hands. But we wouldn't forget Kamina. None of us would. Kamina had been such a big part of our lives. How could we forget him?

I held my right hand out, slowly uncurling my fingers from holding the flower, the wind ruffling my red hair as it licked at my fingers, disturbing the wildflower's light sleep. I closed my eyes, and held my hand closer, tears falling from my eyes, a soft, choked sob escaping, breaking my composure. But the reassuring hand on my shoulder brought me back, as I held the wildflower away from my body, releasing it, and Kamina into the wind. He was free now, yet locked tightly inside my crying heart.

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><p>"Hey, Yoko! Look at this! I made you a pie!" I turned to Nia, nearly knocking the plate filled with pie out of her slender hands. I barely even smiled at it.<p>

"Oh, thank you so much, Nia. But I'm going to have to pass on it, okay?" I answered, lifting myself up from my chair and walking toward the door of the galley.

"What's her problem?" Kittan muttered from in between bites of chicken. Leeron sighed.

"Simon's caught the same bug, apparently. They're both so depressed. I wonder…" He muttered, as I opened the door and walked through, just as I let go.

My hand lifted upward to cover my face, tears falling from my eyes, as I walked down the hallway, holding the wall close to me as I bled crystal tears, the shimmering drops falling to the floor, taking pieces of my love with them. I couldn't go on like this. I knew that. But I couldn't let go. I couldn't let go of him. I couldn't move on without Kamina. It was too hard, too difficult. I was afraid.

He'd promise me that he'd return that kiss to me ten times over, and the only thing I had left now was a broken heart. That lying jerk. He'd promised me. But in the end, he'd left me behind. He'd left me behind with a huge hole in my heart. He left me after I'd confessed how I felt about him. He'd left me to take care of Simon, all alone. He'd ditched me.

I started running, the sound of Kamina's voice haunting me as I ran, tears flying out behind me, as I ran as fast I could desperate to get away from the sound of it. But it followed me; it ran alongside me, murmuring loving words into my ears, stopping my heart with a simple sigh. I couldn't shake it off. He was haunting me. The words, the words painted across my eyes, they read my last words to him.

"Your back is your biggest blind spot."

Guilt rose up inside me, the tears falling harder, as I forced myself to run faster, my feet lifting up off the ground and never seeming to touch back down, as I flew down the hallway on desperate wings, my blood burning in my veins as I streaked through the ship, heading to one place where I would be free of all memories of him. I had to get there, before I fell too deeply into the abyss that awaited me, the abyss of despair.

I was on fire. It felt like the very blood in my veins was burning me. I felt so guilty, I was disgusted with myself. I couldn't even bear to look at myself, I was so disgusted. I couldn't stand the thought that it was my fault Kamina was dead, even though I knew it was true. I was the reason Kamina was dead. It was my fault, entirely. I couldn't let myself feel love ever again. I was the reason he died. Me and my damn kisses.

I shoved open the door to freedom with both hands, throwing myself through the door, the cold wind buffeting my face as I looked up at the rising sun, the stars in the sky raining down on me as I watched them softly wink out as the sun ran across the shimmering ceiling, my amber irises widening as I stood, starry eyed.

The fire in my veins slowly subsided as the sun rose, bathing the deck in luminous ruddy shades of heavenly paint. My red hair glowed a crystalline scarlet, my eyes taking on a topaz glow as I spun around, watching the wind carry wildflowers up from the earth below the ship. Their petals swirled around me, as I spun around again, following them, my hair following close behind as the flowers wove into the strands, painting my hair an even brighter red.

"Having fun out here, Yoko?" My eyes widened, as I turned at the sound of the voice, the familiar voice I knew so well.

"Simon! What're you doing out here?" I asked, turning to face him, and plastering a fake smile onto my face weakly. He smiled faintly for a split second as he walked toward me.

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied, stepping up right beside me, giving me a glance out of level black eyes. "I heard from Leeron. What's bothering you?"

"You would know better than me, Simon." I murmured back, turning to watch the sun soar across the sky, trailing pieces of fire behind it. "It's Kamina. I feel like it was my fault that he died. I can't stop thinking about it, even though I know it doesn't matter how much I cry and grieve. He's not coming back."

"You're not the only one who thinks that, Yoko. I think it's my fault that Bro died. If I hadn't been so weak, and stupid, then we wouldn't be without him. But we can't give up." He answered, turning and giving me a smile. "We have to keep going forward. No matter what's our way, we can't stop. 'Cause that's the way Team Gurren rolls!"

"I know that, but why does it have to be so hard? Why can't I just let him go, like you have? Why am I clinging onto him so tightly that my arms are sore?" I asked, my voice hollow, already knowing the answer to those questions. It wasn't that hard to figure out. And Simon wasn't stupid.

"I know why. It's because you loved him. Love makes everything harder. But it also makes things easier too." He replied earnestly, looking back at the sky, at the sun. "When you love someone, it's easy to fall, and it's also hard to get back on your feet. But if you hold the ones you have left close to you, then, you'll be able to get over anything. Bro is dead. But he's still here. On my back, and in our hearts."

I widened my eyes, as I looked back at him dumbfounded. Was this really Simon? I looked closer, seeing no trace of a lie in his eyes, as my heart trembled on the thin string it was hanging from. He was so much stronger than I originally thought. He wasn't crying right now. He wasn't showing emotion like I was. He was staring into my eyes, his black irises strong and level, fearless. Unlike me, who was shaking and crying silken tears from my amber eyes. I was so weak.

"But Simon…" I sobbed, holding my hand over my mouth, the tears sliding over my hand to continue down the path set for them. "How are…?"

"I guess I'm just different. I know I can't cry about it forever. I mean…" He smirked, giving me an innocent smile. "You saw what happened when I was depressed, right? Bro wouldn't want the two of us ending up like that again, and you know that as well as I do."

"Simon…" I breathed, as the sun drew closer, the air starting to shake. Simon narrowed his eyes, and took a step forward.

"Yoko, get your gun ready." I turned toward him, confused.

"But why, Simon?" I asked, blinking tears away before I wiped at my eyes. He turned, and smirked again.

"Because we've got company." He answered, taking off toward the ship's gunmen hold.

I reached for the rifle on my back, grabbing a hold of the trigger, yet not pulling it, as the enemy landed in front of me on the ship. I narrowed my eyes, and held my gun out beside myself, my eyes level and strong, as my heart pounded in my chest. I was afraid, but I wouldn't show it. I was trembling, but I wouldn't succumb. I was Yoko Littner, the best shot on Team Dai-Gurren. I couldn't break at the sight of a gunman. I straightened up, and stared the enemy down with burning amber eyes.

"I will not let you touch Team Dai-Gurren!" I cried, the wind blowing around me fiercely, as I lifted my rifle, holding it level with one hand. "You hear me?"

"Whatever, you pathetic human. You don't scare me." I gulped, as the gunman lifted a gun of its own into position, aiming for my heart.

One shot. One shot would kill me from that range, even if he missed his mark. The gunman played with the trigger, teasing me as I gripped onto my own tightly, my fingers and hand cramping up as I waited. I had to shoot. It was shoot or be shot right now. My death was echoing from my beating heart, haunting me along with Kamina's voice, my teeth coming down on my lower lip harshly. _I have to move, I have to move, I have to move._

"Well, it looks like you're all bark and no bite, human. Pathetic." The finger went down on the trigger one last time, as my heart beat its last beat. "Time for you to join your precious human friends, bitch."

"Kamina…" I murmured, shaking in my boots, my legs and arms trembling as my irises shook, my heart throbbing, as the gunman pulled the trigger.

I could feel the air tremble as the cannon sized bullet flew toward me, the wind whipping my hair around my face as my rifle shook where it was, my finger still on the trigger, my breathing stopping all together as I waited for death to overtake me, for my feet to break the surface and drag me down into that abyss called despair with their weight.

"GIGA…DRILL….BREAK!" I widened my eyes as a spiraling drill shot past my head, the arm of Gurren Lagann flying past me as I stood there, lifeless. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER, YOU HEAR ME?"

"S-Simon…" I murmured, watching him drill through the enemy gunman, the bullet he'd fired at me breaking apart as Simon blew through it, the enemy gunman splintering apart as Simon cut through it through will power alone. "You…"

"Yoko, I told you. Don't ever give up. No matter what's in our way, we won't stop. Because that's the way…" He turned and faced me through Gurren Lagann's lifeless eyes. "Team Gurren rolls!"


	2. Written On My Heart

**Author's Note**: Hey there again. Two updates in one day. Seriously? That's a new record for me. Anyway, here's the second chapter I promised. There'll be a third one. I promise. Anyway, one thing to say. I love this chapter. I worked exceptional hard on this, and it took me about a week to finish, unlike the piece of crap for a first chapter. I might go back and rewrite it then, since I hate it so much. But anyway, I got inspiration for this chapter form "Dancer in the Dark" by: Megurine Luka and "Sayonara Memories" by: Supercell, and finally "Ursa Minor (Electron Mix)" by: Cedweller. I encourage you to listen to those songs. They'll really help as far as understanding goes. Anyway, I'll write more description tomorrow. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Gurren Lagann, Yoko Littner, Simon, SimYoko, or any of the other characters mentioned in the chapter. I guess that means I don't own Death either. Hehe. "The Darkest Kiss" (I think...My mother reads that book...) reference..."Flowers"...Ha. I don't own that either. I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! I OWN NOTHING AT ALL! I DON'T OWN ANYTHING AT ALL!

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><p>I lifted my head upward at the sound of it, the crimson colored flash landing in front of me with a slam as I struggled to my feet in a breathless rush. My long red ponytail blew in the wind around me, my bangs shielding my widened amber eyes from the storm of terrifying power that buckled and boiled in front of me. This was Simon's power. Gurren Lagann.<p>

I could feel it, surging upward from the feet of the large, armored gunman, the swirls of green light flying up toward the sky in a spiraling pillar, starting from the feet, all the way to the head, where my precious friend was. Fighting. For Team Dai-Gurren. For me. My irises shook as I realized that, my heart fluttering in my chest, my rifle falling limp in my trembling hands. Simon was fighting for me. To protect me. Just me.

The tempest of energy whirled up into the sky, shattering the sun with its brilliance, as it continued flowing, like the river of time that was slowly, but surely consuming me. I don't know how long I stood there, watching Simon square off with the Beastmen. It was just him. Rossiu was quivering behind Kittan, explaining the situation over and over again about how Simon had just jumped in, not bothering to wait for Rossiu. But it didn't matter. Simon was fighting, and he was angry.

My legs shook, urging me to move, my knees violently trembling, as I lifted my face to the top of Gurren Lagann, the head of it turning to look back at me, our eyes meeting. I knew he was in there, watching me. I knew he was waiting for the right moment to strike. But despite the fact that I was in the middle of the danger zone, he didn't seem to care. The spiraling power continued flying up into the sky, steadily growing brighter and brighter, as Simon grew angrier, and angrier. When he turned back around, my breath caught. The chill was staggering.

I could hear voices, the voices of my teammates calling me, urging me to get back, but I couldn't move. My legs remained where they were, my feet not even budging or moving an inch. I was stuck where I was, glued to the ground I stood on. There was no moving me. Not now. Not while Simon was angry like this. _I have to help him…_My voice drifted across my mind lightly as my eyes closed, letting the wind cradle me, my lips curling up into a gentle smile. _I have to protect him…For you, Kamina. _

I gripped my rifle tighter, wrapping my fingers around it, and lifting it up, holding it out to my right, as I slid my legs a few spaces away from each other, taking up my stance. I had to help him, I had to protect him. I couldn't let him die, I couldn't let him die. I couldn't lose him like I lost Kamina. Simon was all I had left. I wouldn't let him leave me so easily. Not now, not ever. My left eye fluttered closed as I held the scope up to my right pupil, leveling the rifle at the nearest enemy gunman. _I won't let him die. _

"Yoko!" I jerked my head up, surprised, lowering my rifle as I lifted my face to Gurren Lagann.

"Simon, what's-" I started, as the gunman turned around, the hatch sliding open, the small little head of Simon poking out, black-blue hair blowing in the wind.

"Yoko, I'll handle this. You stay back. It's too dangerous for you out here." I narrowed both eyes and grimaced.

"What? You think I can't handle this level of combat simply because I am a girl?" I retorted sharply, attempting to keep a slight lightness in my voice to let him know I was teasing. But he didn't catch it. He was serious.

"No, that's not it. I just have a hunch. I have a bad feeling about letting you fight alongside me." I widened my eyes. _A bad feeling about me?_

"Well, what if I acted as a sniper and guarded your back? Simon, it doesn't matter what you say to me, I'm going to help whether you like it or not." I answered, his eyes hardening.

"Yoko, listen to me. Even if you keep your distance..." The hatch closed as he sat back down inside the gunman. "I can't guarantee that I won't hurt you by mistake."

My eyes widened. Even wider than they already were, if that was possible. He wasn't the same Simon as before, back when Kamina was here. He was stronger, darker, fiercer. Nia was right. He had closed his heart off to everyone he was closest to. I narrowed my eyes, and swallowed. There was nothing I could do about the pieces right now. I had to help out as best I could. I had to provide support from behind. Or above. Or from wherever I could get a clear shot. He wasn't going to deter me. I was fearless. And he knew that.

"Just who the hell do you think you are, ordering me around like that? I can handle this. Just let me fight." I answered firmly, his black eyes like chips of ice. He wasn't going to surrender.

"I don't want to put you in harm's way." I smiled and took a step forward, then another, and another, Gurren Lagann watching me closely. Even the Gunman could see that I wasn't giving up.

"Regardless of what you have to say, Simon, I'm covering the rear. Got that?" I answered, looking up at him, one of my amber eyes shut playfully. Simon and I's eyes met for a split second, pain shooting across the distance between us to stab me in the heart, the pain so great, I nearly dropped to my knees.

"Yoko?" I shook my head at his concern.

"It's nothing. Just get ready, and be careful. Keep facing forward. I've got your back." I replied, lifting my rifle one more time, Gurren Lagann taking a step backwards to be right in front of me, his feet spread wide enough for me to be able to get a clear shot at the enemies.

"You ready, Yoko?" Simon called down to me, anger boiling from the Gunman he was piloting. It ruffled my red hair, blew it into my eyes, my line of vision, the green sparkles a dark, thick emerald. He was furious. Despite my fear, I nodded up to him.

"Ready when you are, Simon." Gurren Lagann stanced. I shut my left eye, starting the countdown. _Three seconds…Two…One…_

"LET'S GO!" Simon and Gurren Lagann rushed forward, my bullets following close behind.

The enemy gunmen fell to Gurren Lagann's drills, each thrust and slice cutting down more and more, fire exploding along the deck of the ship, as Simon vented all of his anger out on the enemies without mercy. My eyes shook, my rifle limp in my hands as I watched, spellbound, Simon's power dancing across the air toward me in luminous green waves. War cries roared through the air, ricocheting across the empty land, reflecting back at us, bouncing off of the horizon. Simon's war cries rose, Gurren Lagann's insane power spiking. I was in the middle of it, right in the middle of the fire zone, bullets whizzing past my head.

My eyes widened as I quickly moved my head to the left, the bullet sliding along my right temple, pieces of luminous red hair falling to the deck only to get picked up and swept away by the fierce wind. I noticed more attacks coming my way, knowing that Simon was too busy to even think about helping me out, but then again, this was what I had asked for. But, I was an open target to the enemy; an easy kill. I narrowed my honey eyes. I was going to prove them hopelessly wrong. My irises focused on a pile of boxes in front of the railing that sectioned off the deck and front of the ship. I had to get there.

I leapt up, grabbing a hold of my rifle tightly and started running, ignoring the voices behind me, screaming for me to come back. I kept going, rolling and wheeling through the attacks, pieces of red hair falling to the wind, as I barely managed to dodge the bullets and miniature missiles that headed toward me from the front lines that Simon was still cutting through there being too many for him to handle on his own.

I lifted my arms up at my sides as I came back up from a somersault, unable to stand still long enough to take aim, but knowing that if I found a way to get behind cover long enough to take a shot, I'd be able to successfully take out at least one enemy. One less for Simon to fight. I cart wheeled again, as the wings on one of the bullets cut open my calves on both of my legs, my left eye closing from the pain. _Keep moving, Yoko. Don't stop. _

I landed in a crouch, lifting my rifle up in a split second, pulling the trigger without so much as a peek through the scope; my bullet shooting through the air to blow right through the gunman that had wounded me's shoulder. I smirked, but rumbling to my left startled me, as a knight-like enemy came up from the side, his sword level and poised to kill. My eyes widened. I didn't have enough time to get away. I flung all of my weight onto my right arm as I cart wheeled out of the way, only to feel a staggering pain flash up and down my left arm like a flash fire. Blood spurted from the wound, my eyes closing as I screamed.

"YOKO!" Simon and the others cried, Gurren Lagann turning around, his face agonized. I'd been wounded, but I wasn't dead yet.

"GET AWAY!" I lifted my gun as I pushed off with my right hand, flying freely through the air, on my back, holding my gun on my chest, my right eye sliding in front of the scope for a split second before my finger pulled the trigger. Direct hit, straight through the heart. But I couldn't stop here.

I started running again once my feet touched the ground, sliding out of the way of a missile, lifting my arms up once more, focusing on everything around me, paying attention to where I was at all times, when the bullets would hit me, timing my dodges perfectly to what my mind was calculating. I was built for the battlefield. You didn't need a gunman to fight. I was proving that right here, and right now. I heard Gurren Lagann step up beside me, looking down at me as I ran.

"Yoko, are you alright?" Simon asked, as I winced. I slowly lifted my head, looking up at him, giving him a thumbs up as I ran.

"I'm alright! Just worry about yourself, Simon!" I advised, turning back to the enemy, my lip curling up as my eyes glowed with a hell-born firelight. "Because it's payback time."

I watched the enemy slid into a huge line in front of me, ready to face and kill me with their lifted guns and swords. I took a deep breath, and lifted my gun, firing a few shots and rounds to provide me some cover, the cover that I desperately needed in order to reach where I needed to go. My red bangs blew into my eyes as I continued, narrowing my amber irises into thin slits as I shot bullet after bullet, our attacks colliding in mid air.

The ground underneath my feet shook as one of Simon's drills shook the deck violently, my back hitting the ground under me, my spine sliding along the grated metal painfully. I stifled a scream and lifted my rifle once again, looking through the scope and taking aim. Right for their throats. Three of the four shots I fired hit their mark, the last one bouncing off the shiny teeth of the gunman that chomped down to avoid the blow. I cursed, and rolled backwards, my feet sliding across the deck, my body hunched over as I held my left hand down, my right extended to my side, as I regained my balance.

I jerked my head up at a thunderous crash, and gasped. Gurren Lagann was slicing through more enemies, the pieces of broken robot flying down toward me, my eyes widening. I couldn't dodge that fast. I wasn't gifted with speed. Sure, I had long and beautiful legs, but I wasn't fast. I narrowed my eyes as pieces of metal flew past them. I would have to. I would have to move as fast and as quickly as I possibly could, like a flash. I nodded once. Time to move.

I leapt forward, the onslaught of metal surging toward me, my teammates screaming in horror, Simon turning toward me, averting his attention for a split second before being forced to focus on the enemy he'd neglected. I jumped, and flipped, and cart wheeled, doing anything I could to avoid getting hit, cuts opening up on my legs and arms, my cheeks barely getting scratched as I somersaulted forward on the rolling piece of metal, before jumping from piece to piece, landing daintily on each chunk of metal I landed on, my red hair blowing around my face, my ponytail loosening.

I kept at it, jumping around as I fast as I could, all to get to the top of the deck before the ship flipped over onto its side, before I got crushed as a result. I focused my eyes on a metal pole jutting out from the surface of the deck, a fallen sword from a slain enemy gunman, my free hand reaching toward it, my fingers grasping the handle of the sword just as a piece of metal cut into my right side, blood flying out of it. I heard my teammates and Simon gasp, as I turned my head, looking down at the ruby crimson blood that threaded from the wound and into the air, the wind carrying the drops and ribbons away into the wind, the pain all but accompanying them.

I screamed as I swung myself upward, flying up toward the enemies, firing my gun as I front flipped through the air multiple times, entering the danger zone, the elastic sliding from my hair as I moved my head to the side, freeing my long red locks into the wind. I narrowed my eyes, holding my rifle up to my shoulder, kneeling in the wide open, not caring about cover now, as Gurren Lagann stomped over to my side, the two of us ready to face the opposing forces, my blood dropping to the deck like raindrops. I watched the enemies begin to close in, start to circle us.

"Damn it! I told you this was too dangerous! Get out of here, Yoko! Before your wound gets worse!" Simon cried, blocking the bullets coming at me as I faltered, dropping my rifle to the deck as I held my right side, bracing myself up on my left hand.

"I'm…Alright…Don't…Worry…Simon…" I panted, sweat and blood pouring down my face, my red hair blowing around my face as the wind raged. Simon swung his cockpit toward me, Gurren Lagann's face looking down at me.

"But you're hurt, Yoko! Get out of here while you still can!" I smiled, and lifted my face up to him, my honey amber eyes glowing.

"Just who the hell do you think I am? I don't quit, and I don't run, you got that?" I yelled back, tossing my head. Simon paused, analyzing my response and carefully thinking out his own. I held my breath.

"Yoko…I don't want you to get hurt, so please-" I gritted my teeth, and flung him a fierce glare.

"Look, Simon! You can't handle all of these enemies all by yourself! Just let me stay! I won't get in your way, I promise you!" I called back, my long red hair rippling in the wind behind me, cutting through the air with streaks of scarlet. Simon nodded, Gurren Lagann nodding as a result.

"Just stay sharp, alright?" I smiled, and lifted my thumb up to him.

"You got it, Simon." I turned back to the enemies, and lifted my gun from the deck, holding onto it tightly in my right hand, kneeling on the ground, my left hand keeping me balanced. The countdown started once again in my head. _Three seconds…Two…One second…_

"NOW!" I ran forward, Gurren Lagann drawing a drill out of his right hand.

I continued running forward, firing my gun every which way, heedless of where the shots were going, only taking half a second to aim each time, my long hair blowing into my eyes, making it even more difficult to shoot accurately. And this is why I liked having it in a ponytail so much. So that way I wouldn't be as blind as a bat.

My eyes narrowed, as I continued firing, jumping up and over swords and arms, claws and feet, rolling, flipping, cart wheeling, everything possible to avoid getting hit a third time. If I got hit once more, I would be dead. No questions asked. Even Leeron wouldn't be able to save me. My legs and arms flew through the air, a curtain of scarlet veiling my back from my teammates' view, the ruby drops that flew from it letting them know that I was in fact wounded. I dropped my head when I landed in a neat crouch, gritting my teeth. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't leave Simon alone.

I shot three more rounds, two gunman falling backwards as my bullets hit them in their hearts, another three getting sliced in half by Simon, my bullets shooting down several more. I lifted my gun up, my lip curling upwards as I smirked, leveling it at the last gunman's cockpit. This was my final shot, and the final monster that stood in my way. I pushed off from one of the fallen gunman's cockpits, and front flipped over it, holding my rifle level in my hands.

"Go to hell, creep." I muttered, as I pulled the trigger, front flipping one last time, touching the deck's surface in a crouch at the front of the exploding gunman, the electricity crackling from the heart as it shot up into flames last.

"We did it, Simon." I sighed, dropping to my knee again, holding myself up with my left hand as I panted, Simon coming up behind me.

"Yoko…Are you alright?" I panted in response, unable to respond. I needed more oxygen. I was on my last legs.

"Simon…I told you didn't? I told you…Don't worry…About me…" I answered in between deep, labored breaths, Simon jumping down from Gurren Lagann's cockpit, running toward me the instant his feet touched the deck's surface.

"Yoko!" The others started to run toward me as well, but Simon reached me first.

I watched the sweat and blood mix at the tip of my nose, then fall to the metal deck in one, single luminous drop. My vision blurred, the metal floor of the deck swimming in front of my eyes as I panted through burning lips, my throat and lungs on fire. My side was flaming as well, my face twisting into a bitter smile. I wasn't ready to give up yet. I could still move, couldn't I?

"Yoko, are you…?" Simon asked, putting his hand on my shoulder lightly as I gripped my right side, blood threading through my fingers. I jerked my head upward suddenly.

"Something's coming." I muttered, watching the front of the ship shake, seeing the tips of sword blades coming up over the front. More gunmen. I wobbled to my feet, Simon holding onto my arm to keep me balanced.

"Yoko, you go get some rest, please. You're too injured to fight any longer." I turned my head toward him, and looked into his black eyes deeply.

Deep down, despite what I wished I would think, I knew he was right. But I just didn't want to give up. After all, the gunman had brought artillery and infantry along with them. I could at least cut them down. I tightened my right hand into a fist. Even though I no longer had my rifle, I could still fight using my fists. I wasn't completely helpless. I met his pained gaze evenly.

"Simon, I told you already. I'm not giving up. I'm going to pierce the heavens, right alongside you." I replied, letting go of my side, and bracing myself as I hunched over, touching my right fist to the ground. Simon widened his eyes when he figured it out.

"You're going to fight without your rifle? That's crazy, Yoko!" He cried, his eyes bulging out of their sockets in shock. I smirked, and turned away.

"Oh relax. I'm not going to get hurt this time. I'm not going to be taking on giant tin cans with just my hands. That would be suicide. What do you think I am, stupid?" I demanded playfully, Simon blinking a few times, not knowing how to respond to that. I rolled my eyes. Boys.

"Yoko…" I lifted my blood encrusted right hand, and poked his forehead firmly, Simon rubbing his brow, slightly perturbed. I smiled.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be alright. Let's just finish this, okay?" I murmured to him gently, the others preparing their gunmen as Simon and I spoke. I could hear the clanging of the metal against the sound of Simon's beating heart.

"Please…Just don't put yourself in harm's way." I rolled my eyes.

"This is a battle, silly. I'm already in harm's way." I replied knowingly, and lightly shoved him toward Gurren Lagann, where Rossiu was waiting.

"Hey, Simon! I'll hop into the Gurren, okay? I'll help you out." He called, waving to Simon from where he was standing on the ladder. Simon nodded, and smiled back, the enemy gunmen and forces getting impatient.

"Are you blasted humans ready yet? I'm getting old over here, damn it." Simon snapped his teeth together, as I narrowed my eyes. It was time to move.

"You're getting old huh? Well then, how about we finish this quick, for old time's sake?" I asked innocently, smirking slightly. That did it. The front line roared and moved forward, infantry and all. I slammed my right foot in front of me and jumped forward.

"Simon, I'm going! Watch the rear!" I cried from over my shoulder, as I ran forward, toward the dozens of foes that ran toward me, my bloody body. Simon ran a few steps forward.

"NO YOKO, WAIT!" I ignored him, instead aiming a cross at the first opponent that came at me.

I slid down to the ground on my back to avoid the bullet fired at me, and sliced my foot across the air, taking the front enemy off of his feet in a split second. The others alongside him then tripped, and fell forward, my lip curling up as I pushed off of their shoulders, a fully loaded gun in my hand, front flipping above their heads, and firing it off with one eye closed, my legs up above my head, smiling all the while.

The gun fired well, each shot flying through the air faster than my rifle's bullets could, each blow an instant kill. I laughed to myself, pulling the trigger. This was way too easy. I somersaulted through the barrage of bullets, and landed on the ground in a crouch, firing more shots, more infantry men falling to my gun's wrath as Gurren Lagann wrecked havoc on the gunmen that accompanied the infantry.

I rolled backwards, crawling behind a few boxes to use as cover, peeking out and around it every five seconds to fire one more shot at the enemies, each of my blows killing or injuring the enemy I fired at. I was dominating the enemies with my gun, while Simon took out the enemies I couldn't handle with Gurren Lagann. We were a perfect team, perfectly in sync. Fighting like this, it was a breeze.

I leaned out from behind my cover of a stack of boxes, and closed one of my eyes, taking aim at the closest infantry men, resting my finger on the trigger, taking a deep breath. _Only ten of the forty that had come left. After these creeps, I'm helping Simon. _I pulled the trigger, one of the remaining ten falling to the deck, dead. The other nine turned and faced me, firing their long range missiles, threatening to blow themselves up at the same time.

I widened my eyes, and hid behind the stack of boxes as fire blew past my sides, the scorching heat from the flames burning my already sensitive abdomen, my red hair flying over my shoulders as the fire carried wind to my hiding place, the gust wrapping itself around me, drying my blood with warmth from the sun's celestial beams of heat. I smiled, even as fire raged beside my head, the entire deck beginning to explode.

I covered my ears as a huge blast echoed across the entire barren wasteland we were fighting on, the ship shaking as the missiles rocked it from side to side, the after effects damaging the Dai-Guren. I sighed as I looked back, seeing no more infantry men to fight. But still plenty of gunmen. I looked around, grabbing for a gun, a rocket launcher, something, anything to help Simon out.

"DIE HUMAN!" My eyes widened, as I turned, and looked over my shoulder, seeing the enemy punch Gurren Lagann across the face, pulling its head off, as well as shattering the protective hatch that shielded Simon from all damage.

"Simon!" I cried, running out into the open as he flew across the width of the ship, arcing perfectly to fly over the side. He was going to fall. He was going to die if I didn't help him. "SIMON!"

I ran toward the edge of the deck, looking around as I went, Rossiu fighting the enemy gunman by himself, the others getting into their gunmen, as I picked up a latch hook, and loaded it into my gun I was holding with hardly any trouble at all. Leeron knew what I was going to do. As did Nia. I was going to take the plunge.

I ran across the deck, blood falling to the floor from my side, ruby tears glistening. I had to make it in time, Simon couldn't die. Simon absolutely could not die. I needed him, I realized. It had taken so long to figure that out. I continued running, as fast as I could. Only to save him, the one I held closest to me. I couldn't let him die. I just couldn't.

"Please don't die. Don't die, Simon!" I cried, tears falling from my eyes. "You can't leave me!"

I ran to the edge of the railing, and looked down, as I frantically turned my head, searching for rope. My eyes, my blurry eyes found none. I looked down once more, the remains of my bikini top fluttering in the wind. An idea popped into my head. I reached behind me, my crimson hair blowing in the wind, wet with blood and tears.

"Yoko, what the hell are you thinking?" Kittan cried, as I tugged on the tie that held my bikini together.

My top fell away, as I pulled it off, holding my right hand out, my long hair brushing against my bare back. I ignored all of the whistles and nosebleeds, as I hopped over the railing, grabbing a fallen sword and tying my top to the handle with my teeth, and attaching it to the gun as I loaded it into it. This was my only option. Either this idea worked, or we both would die. I ran faster, as my teammates screamed for me to comeback, to leave Simon. I couldn't do that.

I slid on my butt down the side of the ship, Simon falling steadily, as I front flipped off the edge of the metal deck, beginning to freefall. The wind was terrible at first, and I wobbled a little, until I held my arms close to my sides, increasing the speed of my fall. I had to catch Simon. I couldn't let him die.

"Simon!" I reached my free hand down toward him, Simon falling headfirst, down toward the ground.

I gritted my teeth, and reached farther, grabbing at his fingers with mine, our fingertips brushing against each other's as I steadily fell faster, my eyes narrowed against the wind, my enemy. The wind was doing everything it could to keep us separated, to make it so that Simon fell to his death. I kicked, and screamed, and fought like hell, but my speed didn't increase. Simon's did.

"SIMON!" I screamed, tears falling from my eyes, as I reached forward with both hands, my arms outstretched, my red hair blowing around my face as I kicked one last time. I wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could, smiling through tears as I buried my face into his black-blue hair. "Simon…"

We started to fall toward the ground a bit faster, the wind now whipping my scarlet hair around my face more violently, lacing across my stomach, my side wound, my chest, my back, my legs as I shielded Simon from the blows, holding him close. I couldn't let him die. He meant more to me than he could ever know. Even more than Kamina did. But that was only because; Simon was the only one I had left. The only one I had left to hang onto, to not let myself forget Kamina, my first love. And for that, I'd sacrifice my own life, to see him live.

With tears falling from my eyes into the soft raven-navy cocoon I'd erected around them, I aimed the gun loaded with my bikini top and sword up toward the ship railing, intending to create somewhat of a bungee cord with what I had gathered. _Simon… _Blinking away one last tear, I pulled the trigger, betting my life on this one, final shot. _You have to live! _

The sound of the "bullet" rang out, a sharp metal screeching screaming into my ears, as the sword flew from the gun, shooting through the sky like a comet, stretching my bikini top out into what I'd hoped for, an elastic rope. The sword flew through one of the holes in the guard rail of the deck, and slammed into place, jerking my arm up with it, my surprised scream echoing across the barren wasteland, my other arm holding Simon as tightly as I could so that he didn't fall. I sighed in relief, smiling through ceaseless tears, washing the blood from my face.

"Simon…" I murmured, looking down at him, as my teammates ran to the edge of the guard railing, looking down at us.

"Yoko! Are you guys alright down there?" Kittan shouted, holding his hands to his mouth. I nodded once.

"Yeah, we're alright! More or less!" I answered, blinking. I could barely see Kittan's form shift.

"Good! We'll have you guys up here in a few! Hang tight until we can!" I nodded back, and smiled.

"You got it, Kittan! We'll still be…here…" My voice trailed off, as I felt myself slide downward a little bit. I looked up, and saw the reason for my steady decline. The rope was breaking. "Kittan, hurry! The rope is-AGGGHHHH!"

My bikini top snapped in half, my right hand releasing the gun I'd been clinging to in surprise, our only hope of survival heading to the ground faster than us. I watched the gun streak downward toward the ground with sad and despaired eyes. My plan hadn't worked. We were going to die, I was sure of it now. There was nothing left to do but wait for death to come for us.

I turned back to Simon, my amber eyes, my bleeding ambers eyes, glistening with crystalline blood as I gazed at him lovingly. He meant more to me than he could ever know. I would never tell him how I felt about him. He was more than a leader to me. He was a precious friend. One I couldn't bear to lose. One that I would give up my life for, drop my heart into the palms of his hands.

_Nia. _

I jerked my head backward, my eyes throbbing. That was true. He didn't just have to live for me, and the other members of Team Dai-Guren. He had to live for Nia as well. She loved him, and I knew it. It wasn't that hard to figure out. I noticed how her gaze always lingered on him for a few seconds longer than normal. I heard the gentleness of his voice whenever he spoke to her. They were falling for each other, that much I could tell.

And I was the lonely knight, the one without someone to love, hopelessly trailing after a dead man who was never coming back, as well as a boy who was already in love with someone else. I was crying deep inside myself, I was still crying for Kamina, grieving for his death, the loss of his touch, his embrace.

But the light that poured into me now, as I looked down at Simon, it was urging me to move on. It was urging me to stop crying, to stop pining for Kamina. He wanted me to move on. He wanted me to be with Simon. And with that realization, the rain inside my heart started to weaken, slowing down as the sun and warmth burned inside.

"Simon…" I hugged him closer to me, burying my face into his hair with a slight shake of my head. "I'm here for you…I won't leave you, I promise…"

Simon didn't stir, or answer. But I simply held him closer, crying silently, as we grew closer and closer to the ground, Death staring us right in the face. Its teeth glowed, its breath smelling of the most beautiful flowers, the very same flowers Simon and I had left on Kamina's grave after we'd finished paying our respects, the white face of Death smiling a bitter smile. It didn't want to take us. It didn't want us to join Kamina this soon after him leaving us. Death was crying.

I felt my eyes flutter closed, as the ground and Death came ever closer, the pale white face and luminous blossoms wrapping the two of us in its tender embrace, brushing across the wounds I'd received from the angry wind, the softness of the blossoms soothing the aching pain, as well as doing what they could to dry my tears. They were reassuring me. They were telling me that I wasn't going to die yet, that their master was crying over what was written on my heart.

I loved Simon.

I loved Simon, and I would do anything to save him, even jump off the side of a ship and fall to my death if it meant that he would live. The strength of my feelings pulsed inside, beating along with my heart, the soft silkiness of my scarlet curtain of hair caressing my cheeks as the blossoms wove through it, carrying it through the wind as they healed me, Death looking down at us, its tears raining down on my bare back, falling to the Earth under us.

I tightened my grip on Simon, and looked up at Death, my amber eyes sympathetic, as I cried tears of my own, the pale white face twisting into a pained grimace as it sobbed, the bottomless black eyes narrowing with sadness and agony. It didn't want to send us up into the skies above, where Kamina was waiting. I buried my face back into its soft cocoon, closing my eyes with a slight and faint smile on my face, and waited for Death's final decision.

The amount of tears increased. It didn't want us to join him just yet. Death didn't want us to follow in Kamina's footsteps by dying an early death. It didn't want us to hit the ground in a gory heap. The tears were cold, and burning at the same time, raw with Death's staggeringly strong emotions. Death was lamenting. Death was suffering because of who I was holding so closely. Simon, the one whose drill was going to pierce the heavens. Death knew this. Death couldn't take Simon just yet.

"YOKO! SIMON! CATCH THEM LEERON! DAMN IT!" I didn't react. I didn't look up. I didn't move from where I was. Death's tears kept falling.

"I'm doing all I can Kittan! Dai-Gurren's hand will crush them if we catch them in that!" Leeron shouted in reply, as Kittan cursed loudly, loud enough for me to hear it as clear as day.

"CAN'T YOU TRY HARDER? AT THIS RATE, THEY'LL BOTH DIE!" Death flinched. It didn't want to take us just yet. The ground was unbearably close. We were going to die.

"YOKO! SIMON! DON'T GIVE UP! I BELIEVE IN YOU WITH ALL MY HEART! SIMON!" At the sound of her voice, I lifted my head, my eyes widening. Nia. Nia was calling to him. He'd surely wake up now.

But his eyes still didn't open. He still didn't stir. I held him closer to me once more, and looked down at the ground, screwing my eyes shut as tightly as I could, as I flipped over onto my back, clutching Simon closer to me, baring my vulnerable spine to the earth under us, only one tiny thought shooting across my mind like a gun shot. _You have to live! Simon! _

"Gotcha!" Leeron exclaimed, as a seemingly out of thin air pillowed hand flew toward Simon and I, intending to catch us.

I braced myself, and held Simon close, so that we wouldn't separate at the moment of impact. My back slammed into the pillow-like material, the softness doing little to stop the pain in my back from burning, as I screamed, bouncing up into the air from the Dai-Gurren's palm, so sure that my back was broken since the pain was staggering, until finally dropping to the hand that had saved us with a exasperated exhale, my grip on Simon falling away as I dove into unconsciousness.


	3. One Thousand Shards Of Glass

**Author's Note**: Well, this is short, crappy, and just all around horrible. It's a serious let down from the chapter before, and the parts just don't flow. And I ended up having to rip off Kamina just to finish this. It was horrible. I lost all inspiration for this, and Gurren Lagann, so this is probably my last chapter/fanfic for it. I'm sorry. I don't have any insiration for anything anymore. Anyway, thank you all for your reviews, and hopefully, I get inspired to write something for this couple again. Probably after the time skip. It's too awkward to write about little Simon and Yoko kissing when they're fourteen. Sorry. I just realized that when I was trying to finish this. So, until a good idea hits me, I won't be writing about them them for a while.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Gurren Lagann. I do not own anything. Nothing at all. Nah-dah.

* * *

><p>"Yoko."<p>

Gentleness. Kindness. Softness. Tenderness. They hung in the air, pulsing from that one, lonely word. My own name, spoken by a hollow and weak ringing of shimmering bells. The scent of flowers wafted into my nose, gracing my senses with its loveliness. Death. It smelled so sweet. Bitterly sweet.

I slowly opened my tired and cloudy eyes, my heart beating over a thousand miles as time passed, each second crammed with every flutter and quiver that shook my heart, like the dust particles that glowed brightly with the fluorescent lights above my head. A face swam into view, a soft face, blurred by my unseeing eyes.

"S-Simon…"

My voice sounded foreign to me. It was colder. The gentleness and light had been forcefully drained from it, the honey-like sweetness tasting bitter to my dull senses. It sounded broken to me, shattering into shards of switch-blade sharp ice, cutting through my throat as I spoke, the taste of blood thick on my tongue as I swallowed.

The sight of Simon, alive and safe warmed my chest cavity from the bottom of my heart. It was so warm, it was burning. The fire was running through my veins, combusting everything in its path, as it blew right through my entire being, burning everything in its reach. I lifted my eyes to Simon's, and held my breath.

He was broken. His heart in pieces within the depths of his dull black eyes, my pitiful reflection staring me back in the face, my bewildered expression echoing my thoughts. My thoughts of disbelief. My thoughts of despair. Simon was breaking apart, right in front of me. His heart lay in my hands, tearing apart at the seams.

Blood poured over my hands, thick with regrets, sins, abandoned dreams, forgotten desires; each seared piece of ice slicing into my fingers, catching my own rotted blood rich with my own regrets, my own sins, my own abandoned dreams, my own forgotten desires, only, my blood had the twinge of sweetness to it, the scent of Death. Wildflowers. Wildflowers that blossomed from the broken heart in my hands, enveloping me in warmth and love. My feelings surged forward despite my restraint. My love was rising, anxious to heal him, to heal his broken heart.

"S-Simon…Are you hurt? Did you break anything when we fell from the ship before?" I asked gently, sitting up slowly, Simon shifting from where he sat, his eyes blank, dull.

He truly was broken. There was no emotion left in his eyes. Even though I was alive, he was still hurting. I bit my bottom lip, and felt my eyes begin to twitch. I wasn't good enough. I couldn't do it. I couldn't heal his broken spirit, his shattered will to survive. I couldn't hold his heart. I couldn't heal it. I couldn't pull his heart together with just my voice. It wasn't enough. He was nothing more than just a shell, a lifeless shell of who he'd once been.

He was depressed, crushed, in agony. The thick blood flowed in between my fingers as the heart that continued tearing in my hands bled all of its sorrow into my palms, crying ruby tears, tears of pain, sadness, loss, remorse. The scent of wildflowers faded away, only to be replaced by the stench of rotting flesh and guilt, my eyes shutting as tears sprang up from wherever they'd been hiding.

I had no other choice. I had to reach out to him. I had to reach with my hands, my bloody hands, and hold him to my heart as tightly as I could, allow him to forgive his sins. Simon was wrapped up in a web of anguish, self doubt, pain. The spider was closing in, each step on the delicate line that held Simon still shaking the tiny thread with the weight of the guilt he was holding in. The spider's fangs glowed with venom, red with Kamina's blood, my blood, the blood of those he'd lost, held closest to him. The spider smiled bitterly. Not even the sight of my light could scare the devilish arachnid away.

I let my irises shake as I stared into his tangled eyes, the spider creeping closer to Simon's spirit, the broken shards that were wrapped up tightly, to tight for me to pull together, to breathe into, give him the life he so desperately needed. I locked eyes with the spider, the embodiment of Simon's guilt, the pain that was harboring razor sharp fangs, trained on my chest, my own vulnerable and breaking heart.

The spider wanted to take me as well. It wanted to drag me down into the abyss of despair, and drown me with the guilt and remorse I was intoxicated with. It wanted to sink its poisoned fangs into my decaying flesh and suck the life out of me, as it was doing to Simon. I could hear the spider's footsteps, bells tolling in my skull. Not even light could save me now.

"Yoko…" I blinked, coming back to myself, looking back at Simon's lifeless face sadly. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"I never asked you to protect me, Simon. I told you. I could handle myself." I answered quietly, my voice hollow. "And look where I ended up. In the hospital with a broken back and a headache."

"But if you hadn't jumped off the ship to save me, then you wouldn't be here right now. You'd be out there with everyone, instead of cooped up in here." He replied softly, the sound of the spider's legs stepping down on the breakable thread startling me. I looked back at him, blinking away tears.

"But Simon! If I hadn't of jumped off, then you'd be dead now, surely!" I exclaimed, leaning forward to look him deep in the eyes. Eight pairs of irises glared back at me. "S-Simon…"

"That's exactly my point. If I hadn't been so weak, then you wouldn't have had to jump off in the first place. I should've paid more attention. I should've been stronger." He slammed his fist into the bed, hunching over angrily, his shoulders shaking. "That's why Bro's dead. Because I'm so weak!"

"Wrong." I murmured, shaking my head. "You're wrong."

His feral eyes turned back to me, the spider flashing across the surface of his irises to smile at my tear-streaked face, the fangs bright with newly spilled blood. Broken pieces of hope glowing in the shimmering droplets fell to the floor. I held my hand over my mouth. He was losing the will to live. He was wishing to die. He wanted to die. He wanted to join Kamina. He wanted to leave me. I bit my bottom lip.

"What could you possibly know about it, then? You've only known Bro for what? A few months?" He demanded, his voice breaking. "Have you ever had a brother? Parents? A home?"

I shook my head, as tears gathered at the sides of his eyes, my own tears threatening to spill over as I watched the spider take a bite of the hope and strength he had left. I watched, helpless to stop it. I couldn't stop it; I couldn't free him from his despair. The binds of his pain had latched onto me as well, holding my arms tightly to my sides, as I fell into that black abyss called despair, that same one I'd been struggling to avoid. We needed Kamina. We needed strength. We needed hope. We needed love. But there was no one around to give it.

"I may not have had a parent or a brother, but I know exactly what you're going through, Simon." I murmured in reply, dropping my head as tears fell to the bed, wetting the covers over my legs. "You aren't the only one who knew and loved him."

"I knew it." Simon smiled bitterly, the spider taking another bite, the sound of ice breaking echoing in my ears, pounding through my skull, as I cried harder. "I knew you loved him, Yoko."

"Eh?" I caught my breath, lifting my glistening amber eyes to him slowly. "You…Knew?"

"I saw you two. I saw you and Bro having a moment just before he died. After that, I didn't want to go on to fight. I couldn't focus on what was happening around me, where everything was." He turned to face me, his bitter smile mocking. "And worst of all, I couldn't stop thinking about it."

"Simon…" I breathed, ashen-faced. "I…I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault. You can't help who you fall in love with, right? The human heart is complicated like that." He replied, the spider slowing its advance. "Although, I believe I understand it now."

"How so?" I asked, relaxing my tense form slightly, the glimmer of light returning to his eyes, the spider taking a small tiny step back.

"The human heart has emotions, or feelings that make humans do things they wouldn't normally do. So, why? Why did you jump off the ship to save me?" He faced me directly then, without hesitation. "Yoko…Why didn't you just let me die?"

"I don't know." I answered honestly, looking down. "I just jumped. I didn't think about it. I saw that you were in trouble, so I had to help."

"If it were Bro-" I shook my head, blinking away tears.

"Don't bring Kamina into this. I saved you simply because-" I stopped mid sentence, turning my head to the left. Simon leaned forward, curious.

"Why, Yoko?" He repeated, watching my heart dance in the depths of my irises, my arms tremble; my teeth come down on my bottom lip.

"It's nothing." I answered, my voice limp, and flat.

The spider took two steps forward, as if it had rolled dice and was making its move. I narrowed my eyes. It was only a game. The spider, the bleeding heart, my inner self falling deeper and deeper into the sea of regret, it was all in my head. I was taking on Simon's pain. I was shouldering all of it, packing it all in, struggling to hold his broken heart together with just my voice alone. But it collapsed out from under me, dropping to the floor, shattering into gleaming chips of black ice.

"Why won't you tell me, Yoko? We're friends, aren't we?" Simons' voice drifted across my eyes, my dull and blank eyes, throbbing through my head.

"I can't tell you." I answered honestly, as Simon leaned even closer, the spider glaring me in the face, expectant for my answer. "It would ruin this."

"Ruin what?" He blinked a few times, and smiled faintly. "What else is there to ruin?"

"This minute, this moment." I replied. "I don't want to ruin this moment."

"You don't mean that." He muttered, turning away, averting his eyes. "You don't mean that at all. We aren't having a moment that you can ruin, not like you and Bro."

I bit my bottom lip harshly, tears beginning to fall down the sides of my face, as my heart broke even more, the huge shallow tear deepening with each passing second, the hollow holes of my heart bleeding with pain and sadness. He was wounding me. I was wounding him. Or, I had wounded him back when Kamina was still alive.

I had ignored Simon's feelings, and I was now feeling the full brunt of his pain. It was bone shatteringly strong. It penetrated right to my core, every fiber of my being soaking it up, my shoulder burning as I turned it toward the onslaught of bitter fire. He was hurting. He was hurting deeply. Not just because he'd lost Kamina. But also because of me.

By jumping off the ship to save him, I'd given him reason to think that I loved him. But facing me now, he didn't believe it. Looking into my eyes now, he could still see my love for Kamina burning in my eyes. He could still hear the gentleness in my voice whenever I spoke to Kamina. He didn't believe that I loved him. He didn't believe that I was hopelessly in love with a boy who'd already fallen for someone else. Only Nia could satisfy him now. I meant less than nothing to him. I couldn't help but smile bitterly, my head dropping, tears sliding down the bridge of my nose.

"I know you hate me. In the beginning I always wondered why you didn't ever talk to me. But, now I get it, and it's too late to go back." I answered, my voice full of resentment. "I'm sorry Simon…I'm sorry I didn't listen to what you weren't saying."

"Yoko…" He breathed, blinking once, the spider's eight eyes staring back at me. I blinked a few tears away. "You…"

"Yeah. I know. I figured it out. And I just wanted to say that I-"

"Simon? Simon? Are you around here somewhere? I brought you and Miss Yoko some dinner! I made it myself!" My head dropped as if it was pounded by a ton of bricks, my long red hair falling over my shoulders. "Simon? Simon? Miss Yoko?"

"Nia, I'm in Yoko's room, just come on in!" He called back, the spider fading from his black eyes, its smile lingering, staying behind to haunt me, to let me know that I was the source of Simon's pain. Simon turned to me, expectant. "Yoko, I'm going to go open the door for her, okay? I'm still listening. You can continue with what you were saying."

"No. It was…Nothing." I answered, lying back on my pillows, as Simon blinked at me. One tear slipped from under my eyelashes.

"Nia, I'm coming hang on a second." Simon continued, getting up from the hospital bed, and walking toward the door, his footsteps light and cheerful. I gritted my teeth.

Nia. She could pull him out of any mood he was in, while I'd just go and make everything worse. Even if he was talking to me, I always ended up hurting Simon in the end. Simon was always hurting. He was always in pain whenever I was around. I snarled quietly. Why couldn't I do anything right? Why couldn't I make things better? Was I not meant to love anyone? Was I destined to be all alone?

I looked up, Simon's back to me, but the spider still waited, prancing around the shards of glistening hope, its eyes watching me with a devilish hellfire, ready to pounce on me whenever Simon's mood happened to drop once more. I blinked my amber eyes sadly, knowing that I was the answer to all of Simon's pain. I had to figure out a way to make him believe me. Or at least, ease that terrible pain he was suffering from.

I turned away, a tear sliding down the side of my face as Simon met Nia's face with a happy smile, completely cured from the depression he'd felt when he had been speaking to me. It had completely drained from his voice, the sound of it full of light and strength, the same strength the spider had been feeding on just moments ago. My scarlet hair fell past my face, as I gritted my teeth, biting the side of my lip as a tear rolled past the left corner of my mouth.

I only brought him pain. I had saved him, put my life on the line for him, and yet here I was, hurting him with my own existence. His smile had been forced when he had looked upon me, his heart breaking apart in my hands. I still held it tightly, my chest soaked in the blood of his regrets, his sins, his fears. My tears fell upon it as it pulsed weakly, anguished and saddened.

I lifted it up to my eyes, my ripped and torn glass eyes, glistening tears sparkling in their depths, unshed, yet ready to fall to the floor at a moment's notice, blinking at his broken heart. Kamina was the reason it was this way. I had only made it worse. He was so close to me that he nearly died. Had I not of been there on the deck, fighting for the two of us, he would never have fallen. I held his heart close to my chest, and cried.

"I made this just now! I had Rossiu taste test it for me, and he said it was really good!" Nia's voice drifted toward me, snaking around my head in arcane circle, laying down the symbols.

"Oh really? He did, did he?" My tears increased, as I clutched his heart even closer, blood spilling over my fingers. I breathed in his regret, his fears, his sins, crying harder.

"Simon…" I murmured, looking up from my chest, his eyes watching me carefully, the spider pacing back and forth, venom dripping from its teeth, eyes locked on his broken heart.

"Yoko, are you alright? Are the bandages not working? Do you need some morphine? I'll call Leeron." I reached my trembling right hand from his heart and grabbed his hand, Simon turning around. "What…is…it…Yo…ko…?"

"Simon…" I whispered, his heart dissolving from my hands, the glittering stardust blowing away as my tears carried it into the wind. It had only been a vision. Nothing more. I cried harder.

"Yoko…Are you alright?" Shadows crossed his eyes; darkness clouded his irises, as I sobbed through my tears, my blood burning in my veins. I'd let him down again. I was causing him pain once more.

I couldn't find the words to explain my feelings to him. I couldn't find the strength to express my feelings for him. The feelings that were tearing me apart from the inside, ripping my heart into pieces with each passing second. I was dying. My body was falling through the glass underneath my tip toes, my scarlet hair flying up past my eyes as I watched the moon as I slowly descended into nothingness. I was truly, truly dead.

Simon noticed this change, the pleading look in my eyes urging the spider that lingered in his irises to spin around and taunt me further, to spit darkness and venom in my pained and drawn face. Beads of sweat poured down the sides of my head, finding their way into the ruby red strands there. Simon's black eyes widened as he sensed the rotted heart inside my chest, the no longer beating heart that was slowly killing me.

He noticed, and couldn't care less. He had Nia behind him after all. Nia was more important to him, for he was already in love with her. His feelings for me, he'd buried them deep down after I'd picked Kamina, the bastard who'd left my heart in pieces when he'd left me behind. I found myself wishing that I'd of died in the fall earlier. Maybe…

But what would that solve? I'd make Simon hurt worse than he already was. He was feeling guilty enough for my injuries, and I didn't need to put even more on his plate. He already had to lead Team Dai-Gurren, and he had Nia, and to have me in full-on depression mode wasn't going to help him out any. So, I shoved my negative feelings deep down inside my decayed heart and faked a smile through my tears.

"Simon, you go with Nia, alright? I'll be fine here by myself." I whispered, urging him toward the shaken girl near the door. Simon's eyes narrowed as he shook his head.

"I'm not leaving you." He replied, blinking once. The scars of my pain bore into my chest. "Not like this."

"You'll do as I ask, won't you, Simon?" I asked softly, my voice shaking. Simon's irises shook.

"Yoko, what's wrong with you?" I had to come clean. There was no way around it. He had to know, he had to know. I couldn't keep this bottled up inside me forever.

"It's nothing!" I snapped, Simon and Nia flinching. I blinked tears away and leaned forward suddenly, scarlet hair sliding past my shoulders. "Simon, I-"

"Yoko…" Simon's voice trembled, Nia's eyes glistening with tears. I swung my legs over the bed, and shakily got to my feet, my amber eyes narrowed as I took a few steps toward Simon, then sat back down when I got close to him.

"Simon, I…" I started, once my hands found their way up the sides of his face, his quivering eyes wide. His gaze was listless, with the exception of the spider that hung its head, anxious for my announcement. But the words wouldn't come. "S-Simon…"

"Miss Yoko, are you trying to explain something to him?" Nia asked, her voice despaired and saddened. I turned to her, Simon's listless eyes gazing into my amber ones.

"Nia…Would it be alright if you left the room while I talked to Simon?" I asked politely. She blinked a few tears away, and nodded.

"Of course, Miss Yoko. Call me when you're hungry." Once she shut the door, I turned back to Simon, and leaned my forehead to his, and held his face close.

"I held you…" I started, my voice gentle. "Just like this…"

"Yoko, what're you-?" He responded, blinking his eyes as he blushed at my closeness. I wasn't surprised, as I pulled him closer, holding him in my arms loosely.

"I wasn't going to let you die. I wouldn't let you die. I'd rather die than let you get taken away from me, Simon. Kamina wouldn't…Kamina wouldn't have given up if he was in my shoes, so I sure as hell wasn't going to give either." I continued, smiling through tears as my arms hung over his shoulders, my face buried in the inside of his shoulder. Simon's head turned toward me, as the spider's eyes softened. "I saved you…Because I love and care about you, Simon. You're the only one I have left to remind me of Kamina. You're the only one who carries him close to your heart, and makes me believe that he's still here. I don't want to lose you, not now, not ever."

"Yoko…" I smiled and nodded once. I'd admitted it, finally. But it wasn't my place to take him from the girl who was sobbing outside the door. I'd have to let him go to her. My amber eyes opened through blurry lenses, and the rain continued to fall.

"Simon, to put it simply, I…" I pulled backwards to hold him at arm's length. The spider looked at me with all eight eyes, and nodded once. I smiled at it through my glass eyes, my hands swirling over his cheeks lightly. "I love you."

"You…What…?" I leaned my forehead close to his, and touched it tenderly with mine. His face flushed beet red at the contact, as my scarlet bangs hung beside my honey brown eyes.

"You heard me." I answered playfully, the web that held his spirit in shackles shattering like glass, the spider blowing from his eyes like dust. "I love you, Simon."

"Y-Yoko, I…" I pressed my lips gently to his forehead, and smiled lightly. His breath caught in his throat as my cheeks flushed pink. "I thought you loved Bro…"

I smiled gently against his forehead, my breath ruffling his black bangs against my nose. "I did. I still do…But you're here, and close, and _alive_."

"Yoko…" I grabbed my wrist in my left hand as I lowered my face from his forehead, and smiled against his collarbone.

"Kamina is gone. I can't hold him like I can hold you. You probably think this sounds selfish, but I want to hold someone…I want to be able to love someone who I know will never leave me." I continued, closing my amber eyes. "And you can't leave us. You're the leader of Team Dai-Gurren, right?"

"Y-Yoko…" He breathed incoherently, unable to make a complete response. I didn't blame him. It's not every day that your first crush that at first rejected you comes crawling back on their hands and knees.

"I at first…Thought that you were a wimp…Only because you hid behind Kamina all the time. You never stood up for yourself, never fought the opponent directly, and relied on Kamina to shield and protect you. But…" I smiled through my scarlet hair. "But when your shield was gone, that's when I realized how strong and remarkable you really are."

"Stop." Hands came down on my shoulders as he pushed me backwards, holding me a foot away. My amber eyes widened, my blush fading. The look in his eyes was…Dark. And angry. And hurt.

"Simon…" He narrowed his black eyes, and shook his head once.

"You don't feel that way. Stop lying to yourself!" I narrowed my eyes out of anger.

"Simon, don't you understand how hard it is for a girl to confess her feelings? I saved you not only because you're the only one I have left, but also because I love you!" I brought my left hand to my heart, blinking tears from my eyes. "So don't leave me! Don't accuse me of lying to you! I held you close to me, I handed you my heart just now, so take good care of it!"

"Just listen toy yourself, Yoko! You're only clinging to me because of your pain at losing Bro! He was the one person you loved, the only person you'll ever love so deeply, the only person who'll ever mean as much to you!" His voice shook then, as he looked back at me, shaking his head once more. "I'm not Bro! I'll never be as good as Bro, and I'll never be good enough for you!"

"You can try." I murmured, dropping my head. His eyes widened.

"What?" I jerked my head up, my tear-streaked face lined with swirling waterfalls that cascaded down my cheeks.

"Just try! You-You don't understand how much I care about you, Simon! I don't want you to die, I didn't let you die, I stared death in the face for you, all to make sure you didn't die!" I screamed brokenly, Nia's sobbing coming from the outside of the door echoing against the broken pieces of my heart. "Just shut up and kiss me!"

"I won't." My eyes trembled as they widened. Nia's sobbing ceased for a second. He lifted his hands from my shoulders. "I can see it in your eyes. You don't…Want me to. You want Bro to come back…And you want Bro to kiss you instead. He still owes you, doesn't he? He promised to repay you ten times over, didn't he? So wait for that time to come. Get up, stand tall, don't believe in yourself… Believe in the Yoko who believes in you."

"S-Simon…" I whispered, his lips curling up into a soft smile, as he gently, but firmly laid me back down, my eyes shaking. "S-Simon…"

He nodded, smiling gently. "Just rest now, Yoko. I'll be back later, alright?"

"…Simon." I murmured, as he turned his back, and walked back toward the door, his footsteps heavy and sluggish. His head dropped as he stopped his advance, and he sighed.

"Thank you." I jerked my head backwards, and blinked once.

"For what?" I asked, as he turned his head to look back at me. The smile that came onto his face then, it washed all of my pain and sadness out of my body, the tears filled with warmth and hope.

"Saving my life." He laughed, and turned toward me, both of his eyes smiling. "I'll repay that…I'll repay that ten times over."

Instead of widening my eyes and acting surprised, I nodded, and smiled back. "Couldn't you put that a little more romantically?"

"Just who the hell do you think I am?" He replied simply, turning toward the door after throwing me a smile from over his shoulder. I blinked, wiping my tears away as the door opened.

"Simon…" I called, the black haired boy turning to look back at me, slightly confused. I smiled as I blushed, blinking my amber eyes shyly. "I'm really looking forward to being repaid."

"You got it!" He answered, shutting the door behind him and Nia, taking a few steps down the hall. My smile widened as I held my hands close to my heart, closing my eyes.

_Wherever you are, you can see him, can't you? _

_He doesn't need you anymore. _


End file.
